1 out of 14 women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than their partner: Study

An estimated one out of 14 women worldwide above the age
of 15 say they have been sexually assaulted by someone other than their
partner, according to a new international study.

The Lancet study, which was published on Feb. 11, was conducted by researchers at the South
African Medical Research Council, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine and the World Health Organization. They looked at 77
studies that collected data from 56 different countries between 1998 to 2011.

“We found that sexual violence is a common experience for
women worldwide, and in some regions is endemic, reaching more than 15 percent in four
regions,” Professor Naeemah Abrahams from the South African Medical Research
Council in Cape Town said in a press release.

The highest rates of sexual violence by a non-partner were
reported in sub-Saharan central Africa (Democratic Republic of the Congo; 21
percent), followed by sub-Saharan southern Africa (Namibia, South Africa and
Zimbabwe; 17.4 percent) then Australasia (New Zealand, Australia; 16.4 percent).

South Asia (India, Bangladesh; 3.3 percent), North Africa/
Middle East (Turkey; 4.5 percent) and east Asia and southern Latin America (Hong
Kong and Uruguay, Argentina; tied at 5.8 percent) had the lowest rates of
sexual violence from a non-partner.

In the U.S. and Canada, reported rates of sexual violence
reached about 13 percent.

However, it is important to note that the rates in the new research were all
self-reported, and the amount of data collected in each region was not uniform.
The authors believe that the numbers they recorded were much lower than what was
actually occurring.

“Our findings highlight the need for countries to have their
own population-based data on the levels of sexual violence by different
perpetrators to improve understanding of the magnitude of the problem and the
main risk factors, and to develop appropriate policies and responses, including
primary prevention interventions and comprehensive services to treat victims of
sexual assaults,” Abrahams said.

In an associated commentary, Kathryn M. Yount from the
Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University in Atlanta, said that the
study was exceptional because it involved such a large number of women from
across the world. She said it proved that non-partner sexual violence was
prevalent and a real threat.

“An estimated prevalence
of 5.2 - 9.1 percent is unacceptably high on public health and human rights grounds and,
hopefully, will spur timely and systematic discussions about the use of
standard definitions and improved research tools and data collection methods to
improve disclosure of a highly stigmatized violation,” she wrote.